During the Routes des Blés event held in June 2021, Grands Moulins de Paris took some of its customers—artisan bakers, key accounts, manufacturers, and supermarket bakers—to meet with farmers.
From fork to pitchfork
A "special moment when people come to learn new things and leave with plans in mind, all in a very friendly, bucolic setting in the countryside."
Christophe Duchez, BA Sales Director.
This year, Grands Moulins de Paris organized sixteen Wheat Routes, including five in the Vivescia region. Vivescia, the cooperative group to which the brand belongs.
The aim of these meetings was to enable customersto (re)discover the journey wheat takes from harvest to flour and then bread by taking them to the heart of the farms.
These days are " a way to help people understand how farmers work, and also to find out what customers need, "emphasizes Jérôme Massard, VIVESCIA farmer-cooperator, adding that they "give customers a more complete picture of our expertise and what we can offer them."Marcel Gibert, Director of the Nancy mill.
Discussions between the various stakeholders in the sector highlightedthe diversity of agriculture and addressed the agronomic challenges of tomorrow.
The future lies in agriculture:
conventional, organic, or soil conservation.
Proximity at the heart of these encounters
Through these Routes des Blés, the aim was also to emphasize the proximity between customers, producers, and mills. It is this proximity in particular that enables Grands Moulins de Paris to adapt to the specific expectations of each customer and to promote a local approach in line with A TABLE commitments.
Back in pictures
Reims Mill
Three Routes des Nlés were organized near the Reims mill.
The first day was spent with representatives from the MENISSEZ group, one of France's leading bakery chains and owner of the Louise franchise, which has 130 stores.
The second day was dedicated to welcoming artisan bakers and was marked bythe presence of Christoph Büren, President of the cooperative, and Jean-Luc Jonet, Director of VIVESCIA Agriculture.
The last day, which took place at the home of a NOVAGRAIN farmer-cooperator, provided an opportunity to welcome artisan bakers from the Northeast and introduce them to wheat varieties, the production cycle, the technical aspects of the grain farming profession, and agricultural equipment.
Brienne Mill
At the Brienne mill, special meetings were organized for the AGROMOUSQUETAIRES group and Maison LANDEMAINE with farmers from VIVESCIA.
Nancy Mill
Near the Nancy mill, two Wheat Routes were organized with the EMC2 cooperative, which belongs to the TERIALIS cooperative union. One day was dedicated to the POULAILLON Bakery, inventor of the Moricette®, and another brought together around fifteen artisan bakers from the region.
A third day was organized with VIVESCIA to present the flour range to PURATOS, a manufacturer specializing in ingredients for artisan bakers, pastry chefs, and chocolatiers.
Moulin de Paris-Gennevilliers
Close to our mill in Gennevilliers, three Wheat Routes took place during the month of June.
Over two days, around fifteen artisan bakers were introduced to different farming approaches with a focus on organic farming and certain references such as the Platine Label Rouge and CRC, from Grand Siècle Bio and sourdoughs in particular.
Another day organized in collaboration with the Terres Bocage Gâtinais (TBG) cooperative provided an opportunity to discover new products such as Berrouga under the CORA retail banner.
Verneuil Mill
Organized in partnership with the PUISEAUX Cooperative, this day was dedicated to supporting DOMINO'S PIZZA in its consideration of setting up a wheat supply chain. To this end, an overview of supply chain initiatives was presented to the company.
Surgères Mill
During the day, organized in collaboration with cooperative farmers, specific topics were discussed, such as the choice of wheat varieties, nitrogen inputs, disease protection, and cultivation techniques.
Bordeaux Mill
Near the Bordeaux mill, Grands Moulins de Paris organized a Wheat Route with farmers and cooperative members from the TERRE ATLANTIQUE group. The day was dedicated to welcoming major bakery customer OPERA and pastry manufacturer EUROPASTRY.
Marseille Mill
The wheat production areas are geographically further away from the Marseille mill. The Route des Blés therefore took place in Isère, with the OXYANE cooperative. Our artisan baker customers were able to visit a farm to learn about the farmers' practices and the challenges of the CRC labelin particular.
Committed actors
The success of these days,rich in exchanges and learning, is thanks to all those who participated in their organization.
A special thank you to the grain buyers who put us in touch with the storage organizations, to the technical advisors who baked bread every day, to the sales teams at the mills, and to the marketing teams for ensuring that everything ran smoothly.
We would also like to thank our partner cooperatives and farmer-cooperators who gave their time to welcome our customers and prospects and introduce them to the heart of farming and agricultural issues.
